BUREAU OF ANIM-^L, INDUSTRY. 265 



At the Philadelphia laboratory 150 samples of raw, pasteurized, 

 and supposedly pasteurized milk, purchased from various milk stores 

 in approximately all parts of the city, were tested. The samples 

 collected were placed in sterile bottles and brought immediately to 

 the laboratory. A microscopic examination and animal inoculations 

 were made from each sample. Three guinea pigs were inoculated 

 subcutaneously from each sample, one receiving cream, one sediment, 

 and the other a mixture of cream and sediment. All animals were 

 kept under observation for two months after inoculation, and at the 

 expiration of this time a careful autopsy was made upon each animal. 

 The autopsies showed that 20 of the samples, or 13.3 per cent, con- 

 tained active germs of tuberculosis. Microscopic examinations were 

 in all cases negative or indefinite. The examination of the different 

 parts of each sample showed that the cream contained a larger per- 

 centage of tubercle bacilli than the sediment. An examination of each 

 sample was also made for the percentage of fat, acid, total solids, 

 the specific gravity, and leucocytic and bacterial content. These 

 examinations showed that much of the milk was of a poor quality. 



In the city of Washington the previous work of the Pathological 

 Division showed 2 samples of tuberculous milk out of 73 specimens 

 examined. During the past year examinations were mainly limited 

 to samples from milk sold by dealers who claimed that the product 

 was pasteurized, or that it had been obained from cows that had 

 passed the tuberculin test Avithout giving any evidence of tuberculous 

 infection. Of about 40 samples, only one was found which contained 

 living tubercle bacilli, and this milk came from an untested herd out- 

 side the District of Columbia. This result was very gratifying in 

 view of the large amount of work recently done in testing with tuber- 

 culin the cows in the District of Columbia as well as the many large 

 herds outside of the District limits, whose milk is sold to consumers 

 in Washington. These samples of milk were also examined for the 

 number of leucocytes and bacteria, and in this regard a very satis- 

 factory showing was also made. 



EXAMINATION OF " BOB VEAL." 



On several occasions recently the Bureau's attention has been di- 

 rected to the practice of certain butchers of placing on the market 

 as edible veal the flesh of immature calves. In view of this practice 

 it is considered very important that more definite information bo 

 obtained relative to the age at which calves may be properl}^ slaugh- 

 tered for veal. Investigations have therefore been started for the 

 purpose of testing the flesh of calves of various ages to see if any 

 harmful properties are present, also to establish the degree in which 

 its tissues are deficient in nutritive value. 



INAESTIGATIONS OF COTTON-SEED MEAL. 



Laboratory work has demonstrated the presence of pyrophosphoric 

 acid in certain cotton-seed meals, and feeding experiments with a 

 simple combination of this acid, such as sodium pyrophosphate, have 

 shown that aruamount of this salt which would correspond to even 

 less than would be present in 1 pound of the meal will, if given daily, 

 induce in pigs symptoms closely resembling those seen alter feeding 



